Madison, WI – Traevon Jackson hit the game-winning shot with 2.1 seconds to play as Wisconsin took a 45-44 win over No. 12 Minnesota in a close-run affair.
Jackson posted nine points while Ryan Evans scored 10 and pulled down eight rebounds for the Badgers (14-6, 5-2 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Sam Dekker added 10 points and six boards in the win.
Andre Hollins had a game-high 20 points along with five rebounds for the Golden Gophers (15-5, 3-4), who have lost four straight.
On the game winner, Jackson controlled the ball and waited for an opening with time winding down. He made a move to the inside, faked the shot, then put up a jumper that hit off the rim and the backboard before going in with 2.1 seconds to play.
"You have to work at what you do and when you're presented with the moment, there can't be any doubts," said Jackson. "You have to be the one that says 'okay, we can do this.' So I don't know any other way a guy would think, period."
Calling timeout with 1.8 seconds to play, Minnesota tried to inbound the ball to Trevor Mbakwe, who was fouled by Mike Bruesewitz for a chance at a pair of potential game-tying free throws.
Mbakwe, though, was hurt on the play, as he appeared to injure his wrist, and Rodney Williams came in to take the shots.
Williams had missed all six of his shots from the floor and was just 1-for-2 from the free throw line as he approached the stripe. He easily made his first attempt, but his second hit high off the rim and Dekker came down with the rebound as the Badgers held on for the victory.
"We've had three chances now to break it and it's been the same," said Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith. "We had a good shot today, we had a good shot against Northwestern and we just haven't stepped up to the plate."
The largest lead of this game was eight points, which the Gophers held with just over six minutes to play in the first half after Elliott Eliason hit a layup for a 19-11 advantage.
Wisconsin answered with a 13-2 run and took a 24-21 lead when George Marshall hit a jumper with under a minute to play before halftime. However, Hollins was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and drained all three chances to tie the game at 24-24 going into the break.
Neither team was able to get any runs going in the second half, as the largest lead of the final 20 minutes came just over three minutes in, when Marshall drained a 3-pointer to give Wisconsin a 29-24 lead.
Game Notes
Wisconsin plays at Ohio State on Tuesday ... Minnesota hosts Nebraska on Tuesday ... The Badgers have won four straight over the Gophers, but Minnesota still holds a 94-88 lead in the series ... Both teams shot poorly in the game, as Wisconsin made just 37 percent of its shots while Minnesota made 34.8 percent.
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